Tech: Future smartphones could fully charge in minutes with Samsung's new battery technology

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Created: 28 November 2017

Samsung's Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) announced on Tuesday that it has developed a battery technology that can fast-

charge mobile devices and electric vehicles faster than ever before. Instead of taking an hour to charge, with current fast-charge technology, Samsung claims the new technology could fast-charge a battery in 12 minutes.

The new technology includes a single layer of carbon atoms from graphite, known as graphene, which is "100 times more effective than copper in conducting electricity." It also transfers energy "140 times faster" than silicon used in current lithium technology, which makes it "an ideal material for fast charge," according to Samsung.

Samsung's new battery technology might even give mobile devices and electric vehicles more battery life compared to current batteries, as they have the potential for more capacity. It's unclear how much longer these batteries would last, but the extremely fast charging would make it more convenient to top off your device when you need a charge simply because it takes less time. So if you can spare the occasional five minutes here and there for a top up, you'll be less likely to run out of battery.

The concept is exactly the same as today's fast-charging technology in smartphones, where 30 minutes of regular fast charging gets you 50% of battery charge. As its name suggests, fast charging is, indeed, faster than regular charging, which could take over two hours to fully charge a smartphone battery.

This all sounds great, and Samsung has found a way to mass produce the technology at an "affordable price." But there's no mention of when, or if, Samsung would ever use its new battery technology in mobile devices and other electric devices.